Walrus found resting in Norwegian forest near Finnish border

A couple on a mushroom-foraging trip in the Tana forest near the Finnish border in northern Norway stumbled upon a walrus resting in the woods, according to a report by Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

Susanne Hætta and her fiancé were walking near the Tenojoki river when they nearly stepped on the large animal, which was lying still in the undergrowth.

“We almost walked right over it. At first, we thought it was dead,” Hætta said. The walrus showed no reaction to their presence. “It didn’t care at all. We started whispering and quietly moved away, but it had probably heard us from far off.”

Wildlife expert Rune Aae of BirdLife Norway, who has long studied the European walrus population, said it is unusual for the animals to venture so far inland. “Walruses usually stay within a few metres of the sea. It’s not common for one to go hundreds of metres into a forest,” he told NRK.

Aae advised the public to keep their distance and avoid touching or feeding the animal. “The walrus doesn’t want its peace disturbed,” he said.

Four years ago, a similar sighting was reported in Hamina, Finland, where a walrus later ended up 150 metres from the sea in a populated area in Kotka. Attempts to transport it to a wildlife centre for care were unsuccessful, and the animal died during the journey.